Ice Cream and Fireworks
by Symphonic Fantasia
Summary: She was a weird one to him. She tried so hard to introduce him to her world in little ways without drowning him in it. When she did, she always told him in advance. However, this is a time that she doesn't... And he doesn't know how to feel about it and the surprise she is sure to grace him with. Secret Santa gift to Cotton Candy Mareep!


**Author's Notes: This took forever and I'm so sorry. I have no one to blame for myself. I was _done_ with it... I just haven't proofread it. I did, though, and here it is! This is for Cotton Candy Mareep and you don't understand how happy I was to get her as my recipient. CCM has reviewed many of my stories multiple times and it was her reviews along with another's that has gotten me through writing them and I couldn't be more grateful for such a wonderful person to review my stories. I'm so glad that I was able to do something for her and I hope she enjoys it!  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, blah blah, you know the drill.  
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"I'm here!"

The mythical creature looked through the shimmering water, spotting his wife standing at the edge of the lake. She came every day without fail. Today was a little later than usual, but he didn't mind. Out of all the humans, he liked her the most. While he tolerated the others, playing pranks on them when they came near, he never did anything to her. When he thought about it, he never knew why; he just did.

Slowly, Kappa rose from the surface and looked up at her. "You're late."

Claire laughed sheepishly, pink dusting her cheeks. "I'm sorry. The farm work took longer than I expected. Can you forgive me?"

He huffed and looked off towards the mountains. Of course he could forgive her. How could she ask such a thing? It was only now that he spotted what was in her hands. Ice cream cones? Now what in the world did she need those for? And why two?

She smiled as he finally noticed. "I got us some ice cream. Do you want some?"

"I don't eat it."

A pout graced her face. "You mean you won't even try it? I don't think you've tried ice cream before."

"I don't need to try it."

"But, I made it myself."

Kappa was adamant to not try this silly human snack. It was a ridiculous idea. Knowing that Claire had made it, though, changed his mind. It wouldn't be right to turn down his wifes cooking. It could ruin her confidence and he wasn't about that. He wouldn't be the one to do that to her. "... I'll try it."

Claire beamed at him and he swore that his heart skipped a beat. Seeing her smile always made him feel better. Even though, most of the time, he never had a bad day in his life. Then again, he never had a really good day to start with. Seeing Claire, though, it all changed. His days were certainly happier when she came to visit. With each cucumber she gave him, he found himself falling more and more in love with her.

It was a strange feeling.

"Well, here you go," she said, holding out the cone to him.

Kappa grabbed it, his wet hand wetting the cone. From what he knew, ice cream was sloppy and wet, but children found it sweet. Sometimes the children of the town came by to eat some ice cream, the pastor keeping an eye on them. They always enjoyed it but he never had any interest in it. If Claire hadn't been the one to make it, he would never try it.

Slowly, his tongue darted out to try the sweet confection. At first, he didn't like it. It took the second lick to really taste the flavor. Or maybe it was because Claire was looking at him with such high hopes that he just liked it. "It's good."

She practically jumped up and down in glee. "I'm so glad. I worked hard on it all night. I thought you wouldn't like it."

"I do."

"And that's good." Claire smiled at him and leaned in closer. It didn't always make him uncomfortable when she got close like this. This time, though, it felt strange; almost different. "I have to go, but I'll be back later tonight! You'll remember, will you?"

Tonight? Claire hardly visited him more than once a day. He didn't question it because he didn't mind. Now that she was visiting twice, well, it unnerved him. It felt as if something was wrong. "Why?"

She laughed and it helped ease his suspicions a bit. "You'll see. I promise, you'll like it." She placed a kiss on his forehead and ran away from him. "See you tonight!"

Kappa watched as she left, finishing what remained of his ice cream. Just what was she planning?

As the day dragged on and night came, he grew more and more worried. He wasn't sure what he should expect or what would happen when Claire returned. It could be anything. It could be the best possible thing or the worse. He just didn't know.

"Kappa! I'm here!"

The time had finally come. He swam up to the surface to see her. Claire wore the biggest smile on her face. For some strange reason, it was brighter than any other day. It made him curious about why. Unfortunately, he knew it was a surprise and he wouldn't be able to find out until it happened. He slowly got out of the lake and came up on the shore. "And how was the rest of your day?"

"It was fine, but I'm really excited now." She wrapped her arms around his and pulled him further away from the water. "Come with me."

Startled by her sudden pushing behavior, he pulled away from her. "Where are we going?"

Claire looked hurt by this at first. A small pout graced her features before she smiled again. "Just up on Mother's Hill. You can see them best from there."

"Them?"

Once again, she grabbed his arm and started to pull him. This time, he followed her without retort. If there was something she wanted to show him, he knew that it would be worth it. Claire rarely showed her anything but when she did, it was always great. And, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't ignore her wants and needs.

She was just that special of a person.

They reached the top of Mother's Hill. As Claire spread out a blanket, he looked over at the surrounding nature. It was so peaceful up here. No wonder the townspeople came here for festivals.

"You're facing the wrong way, silly."

Kappa looked at his wife, thoroughly confused. She walked over and turned him so that he was facing the town. You could see all of it from up here. It was a wonderful sight and it made you see just how small the town really was.

"They'll be starting soon."

"Claire, what did you bring me up here for?" Kappa asked, finally fed up with her little secret.

She looked at him, her smile never faltering. Even if he said it a little rough, she knew it was never his intention. He was a hard one to figure out but once she did, she knew that he never meant what he actually said. "You'll see." She sat down on the blanket and looked up at the sky.

Kappa could see that there was nothing he can do. So, he sat down next to her, looking up at the sky as well. "Any time now, right?"

"Mhm! Just you wait."

They waited for a few minutes before the sky filled with dazzling lights. Kappa stared at them with wide eyes as they exploded in different colors and shapes. Claire leaned on him as they watched the fireworks. Even as they watched, it felt like time had frozen for him. Whether it was because of the fireworks or Claire, he wasn't sure. Without a doubt, though, it was Claire.

She said it would be worth his while and she wasn't lying. She never lied to him. That was a quality he liked the most about her.

The show ended and Claire began applauding. "That was amazing! Did you like it, Kappa?"

Kappa frowned and crossed his arms. It was a habit to make himself look displeased by what was happening. This was something he hoped he would grow out of in time. The Goddess willing, of course. "It was fi-" He stopped himself. If he wanted to start showing Claire his emotions, he should start now. "It was pretty... amazing. It's been a long time since I've seen them and I never enjoyed it."

She tilted her head to the side, pouting. "How come?"

"Never did. They were just bright lights that flashed in the sky. Nothing more than that."

"Did you enjoy them now?"

Kappa nodded. He didn't have the courage to tell her that it was because of her presence. Maybe in the future, if she was still with him, he would tell her.

Claire smiled. "I'm glad." She stretched her arms above her head and started to stand up. Kappa's hand on her wrist kept her from doing so. "Hm? Is something wrong?"

"No. Let's just... stay here for a little while." He graced her with a smile, something he didn't always do, even for her. "It's nice up here. Might as well make it last."

Claire's heart skipped a beat. She had never seen him smile before. She loved it. Smiling back at him, she sat back down.

"Ok."


End file.
